Film confronts addiction

Alli Knothe, TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF

Published Thursday September 19, 2013 at 11:00 pm

PHOTO/ T&G Staff/STEVE LANAVA

From left, James Gorske, executive director of AdCare Educational Institute; Karyn Clark, chief of Community Health of the Worcester Department of Public Health; Cassandra Andersen, prevention specialist for the Worcester Department of Public Health; and Maryanne Frangules, executive director of MOAR, at the Hanover Theatre for the Performing Arts, where the film, "Anonymous People" was screened Thursday.

WORCESTER — It wasn't a typical night at The Hanover Theatre for the Performing Arts.

Yes, there were attendants in maroon vests welcoming people. The chandeliers were gleaming, and the ornate venue filled up with hundreds of people.

But no one was there to check tickets, the doors were held open and tables were set up advertising support systems and other programs for people struggling with addiction and those in recovery.

It was a free public showing of a documentary that encouraged people recovering from alcohol and drug addictions not to be ashamed of their healing and ongoing struggle, as well as to quell the public belief that having an addiction is a lifestyle choice and not an illness.

"When I go to talk about recovery the rooms that I go to don't look like this," said James J. Gorske, executive director of AdCare Educational Institute. Mr. Gorske told the crowd in a speech before the film that he is a recovering addict and an alcoholic who has been clean for 23 years.

In recovery since 1981, Maryanne Fragules is now the executive director of the Massachusetts Organization for Addiction Recovery. She encouraged the recovering addicts to make their voices heard and their faces visible in order to inspire change.

The 88-minute documentary, "The Anonymous People" was shown in theaters across the country Thursday night as part of National Recovery Month. It featured actress Kristen Johnston, who published a New York Times Best selling book in January about the story of her addiction and recovery.

Audience members were brought to tears when a mother talked about the death of her son because of a drug overdose, and her fight to raise awareness about addiction to help prevent other mothers from going through it.

Also in the film was Tara Conner, Miss USA 2006; and former Boston Celtic player Chris Herrin.

Sobriety is "not a sign of weakness," Mr. Herrin said in the movie, "it's cool." He went on to say that he would have given up essentially his entire basketball career to have decided not to drink or take drugs as a teenager.

The filmmakers argued that the health system needs to better help addicts, drawing comparisons between the support people receive when they are diagnosed with breast cancer or when a diabetic has too much sugar and is admitted to the hospital.

It argued that although Alcoholics Anonymous can be effective, the stigma associated with gathering in a church basement for the meeting is a negative one.

What addicts need, they argued, is for those in long-term recovery to stand up, "put a face on recovery" and spark change in their community and the country.

The filmmakers also made the point that while an addict may be incarcerated immediately, those who seek help are often forced to wait weeks for admission to a recovery facility. And many addicts are not taught how to overcome their addiction before they are put back in the same environment.

"I see a change," said Michael Earielo, who proudly explained that he is in recovery. "We've got to stop just putting any addicts in jail. It's just a terrible cycle."

Mr. Earielo, a Dismas House resident, hopes that the community will continue "investing in hope and treatment" for people ready to quit.

Massachusetts got some attention in the film, and was praised for being one of 16 states that have recovery-focused high schools.

"I thought it was really powerful," said Amo Rodriguez, of Worcester, who has been in recovery for 17 months. He said he was most struck by the comparison to the AIDS awareness movement in the 1980s.

"Whoever would have known that I would be here today," he said. "The disease hits everyone, not just the inner city."

State Rep. James P. O'Day, D-West Boylston; City Councilor Sarai Rivera; and a representative from the Worcester Police Department were at the event.

The showing was sponsored by Spectrum Health Systems and Adcare educational institute as well as the City of Worcester Department of Public Health.

For help with addiction, contact Everyday Miracles Peer Recovery Support Center at 25 Pleasant St., Worcester, or (508) 799-6221; The Massachusetts Organization for Addiction Recovery at (617) 423-6627; or AdCare Hospital at (800) 252-6465.

Contact Alli Knothe at aknothe@telegram.com. Follow her on Twitter @KnotheA